Impossibility
by Laufeyson'sWife
Summary: In an alternate Mass Effect universe, there are illegal species who hide from everything, unable to live a normal life in the open. They are dangerous, feared and hunted. When Commander Shepard accepts one onto the Normandy, the crew becomes tense as they grow accustomed to the new squad mate's presence. This story will follow Shepard through all three games and possibly beyond.
1. Chapter 1

Commander Shepard stood ready, aiming her gun at the shadows with her team behind her, ready to shoot at anything that moved. It wasn't more than a minute ago that he had been arguing with a pair of angry batarians before they were killed, a dark figure snapping their necks quickly before returning to the shadows. They stood ready, waiting for anything to happen as silence filled the small dark corner of the Citadel warehouse.

"Come out, or we open fire." Shepard announced.

He could swear he heard a swift movement, turning his head to the source.

"Commander Shepard… You're a hard man to find."

A woman stepped out of the shadows. Shepard's squad pointed their weapons at her.

"You're looking for me?" Shepard asked.  
"I was."  
"Who are you?"  
"That depends on you."  
"What do you want?"  
"I want to join you in your fight against Saren and the geth."

Shepard glanced at the dead batarians, keeping his gun up.

"You killed those men to ask that simple of a question?"  
"No. I killed those men to get your attention."  
"Hell of a way to apply for the job." one of the squad mates said.

The woman smirked slightly.

"At least you know I'm able to fight." she replied, not looking away from Shepard.  
"It proved nothing except that you can kill in stealth. My mission is quite the opposite."  
"Your mission requires muscle. I have it. I would be a valueable asset to you."  
"Why so eager?"  
"We could discuss that back on your ship."  
"I don't even know your name."  
"My name is Juliet."

Shepard glanced at the dead aliens once again, then lowered his weapon.

"We'll talk, but I don't guarantee you anything."  
"Lead the way." Juliet replied.

The other two squad mates lowered their guns, walking with Shepard as he left the warehouse. Juliet smirked, following them out.

Once on the Normandy, Shepard called a meeting with his sqaudmates, bringing them in to speak with Juliet. She sat, watching them file in quietly, admiring how many aliens were on an Alliance ship. Once everyone was in the room, Shepard let the door close and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall as they all stared at Juliet.

"What's your last name, Juliet?" he asked.  
"Mitchell."  
"What do you do for a living?"  
"I'm unemployed." she said with a small smile.

Shepard nodded, not wanting to press her for personal matters in front of the rest of the crew.

"Have you lived on the Citadel your entire life?"  
"No."  
"Where were you born?"  
"Earth."  
"Where did you learn to assassinate like you did in the warehouse?"  
"Let's just say it's an instinct."  
"How long have you been an assassin?"  
"I think you misunderstood me, Commander. I'm not an assassin."  
"Well you're sure as hell not a soldier."

Juliet nodded slightly.

"No, I am not."  
"Tell me about yourself."

Juliet smiled again, glancing around the room. She knew anything she told him, she told the rest of his crew.

"I assume you don't have a problem with aliens." she said.  
"Obviously not." he replied. "Do you?"  
"Absolutely not. I envy them, if anything."  
"Hate being human or something?"  
"I'm not human. I'm an illegal species."

The words caught Shepard off guard, making him stand straight as he unfolded his arms. He had a more serious look on his face now.

"You are, huh?" he said, pushing her to tell them just what she was.  
"Yes." she said, noticing a few of the crew members shifting in their chairs.  
"What are you?"  
"Vampire."

He was silent for a moment, nodding slowly as he thought over the consequences of housing an illegal species. As he considered, other crew members protested.

"Commander, I for one am not comfortable with her being here. Especially when you consider the fact that she kills to even eat." a woman said.

Juliet took in the appearance of the woman, noting her dark hair and tanned skin. The man next to her also protested, telling the Commander it was illegal for a reason. Shepard seemed to look around for any of the aliens to protest.

"While I know it's your call, Commander, her eating habits could be controlled on this ship. If she is willing to cooperate, that is." the asari said.  
"As long as she isn't sneaking around near our bunks at night." the krogan replied.  
"I would be in danger, but not much. Quarian blood isn't much to live off of, even for Quarians. It would be useless to feed off of me."

Juliet enjoyed the crew speaking their minds, making a mental note of who to hinder trust in if she was to stay here. The turian in the room said nothing on the matter while he could, only giving Juliet a stern look in the silence. Shepard rubbed his face, sighing heavily. The crew looked to him, eagerly wishing to hear his response.

"If you were aboard here permanently, how would she eat?" he asked the asari.  
"There is a small amount of blood in the med bay for emergencies, though it would be unwise to give it all to her. Dr. Chakwas would need to go to the Citadel and bring blood in by bulk." the asari replied. "It could work, but we'd be going out on a limb to keep her."

Juliet looked from the asari back to the commander, his eyes locking with hers.

"How old are you?" he asked.  
"I was made in the year Nineteen eighty-seven. I am one hundred ninety-six years old."  
"How long have you known how to fight?"  
"Like I said, most of it is instinct. Vampires are predators, they know how to fight."  
"Do you know how to restrain yourself?"  
"My bloodlust is well under control." Juliet replied. "I'm not new."  
"Can I trust you around my crew?"  
"Commander, you can't really be considering this!" the woman said, standing now.  
"We need help where we can get it, Ashley. You saw how she was."  
"She's dangerous is what she is. Without weapons she's a killer, what makes you think she will be any better when we put a gun in her hands."  
"I don't know how to use guns, and I don't need to. I can attack enemies without armor, I don't need a gun." Juliet said.  
"You need to be armed with us." Shepard replied. "You'll need to learn how to shoot, and that will take up time."  
"I can still help." Juliet told him.  
"Ever consider she's just trying to take advantage of your ship, Shepard?" Ashley said. "She's an illegal species, she's not allowed to have anything. This ship would house and feed her for as long as she wants to wait to kill us."  
"You might want to ask your crew if they can trust me before I stay here." Juliet said, smirking at the woman's outbursts.  
"Listen." Shepard said, turning to Ashley. "I make the calls. You had to build up trust with all of these people, and it worked."  
"No offense commander, but I didn't have to worry about any of them eating me."  
"Don't worry, Ashley." Juliet said, her lip still curled into a smirk. "Your kind never satisfies my thirst."

Ashley shifted, sitting back down in her chair with a furrowed brow. Shepard scanned his eyes over the rest of the crew to try getting a feel for their thoughts.

"Garrus, you've been quiet. You worked with C-Sec. Thoughts?"

The turian leaned forward in his chair, finally taking his eyes off of Juliet.

"You've went out on a limb accepting all of these crew members when you didn't know them. That's what military does, they pair you with people and you learn to deal with it. Though, if you ever got caught with her on-board, commander, you'd have quiet the backlash to deal with."

Juliet looked back over to the commander, who sighed again.

"I blend in with humans just fine." she told him.  
"I never would have guessed she was a vampire on first sight."  
"The blood red eyes kinda give it away." Ashley said, her arms crossed tightly.  
"Contacts." Juliet said. "Though I doubt anyone gives a shit as to what color my eyes are."  
"Enough." Shepard said, looking at Ashley.

She seemed to withdraw from anything else he said, looking down at the floor angrily.

"Garrus has a point." the asari said. "You took a chance with all of us, especially us aliens."

Shepard looked over at Juliet, sighing once more, and nodding his head.

"Fine." he said. "I'll let you stay. It's a trial run, you do anything stupid, you're out."  
"I understand, commander."  
"Good. Feel free to set up where you want. I would like to keep this quiet until Saren is dealt with. I need to speak with Chakwas, let her know she needs to stock up for your food supply. Crew dismissed."

The crew got up, Ashley being the first to leave, the other human man being right behind her. Shepard reached his hand out to Juliet, who stood and shook it.

"Welcome aboard."  
"Thank you commander."  
"Don't make me regret this."

Juliet nodded, picking up her pack and slinging it over her shoulder. The asari stopped her before she could leave the room, the krogan and turian staying to watch.

"My name is Liara T'Soni, I am an archaeologist."  
"Hi." Juliet said, shaking Liara's hand.  
"Oh…" she said, looking down at her hand. "You are exceptionally cold…"  
"Vampire trait."  
"One of the downfalls of illegal species is the limited knowledge we have collected about them. Would you mind answering a few questions? For research purposes, of course."  
"Uh… Sure. Yeah."

Liara turned on her Omni tool, ready to record anything Juliet said.

"You said you were one hundred ninety-six years old. You were changed in a time before humans were introduced to space. What was it like to watch everything change to where it is now?"  
"It was strange at first, but you learn to adapt."  
"Can we talk about your transformation? What is was like, what it entailed?"

Juliet shook her head.

"Maybe another time." she said.  
"Of course." Liara said, nodding. "Your thirst for blood… Was it immediate? Can you eat human food still? Can you eat alien foods?"

Juliet smiled slightly as the questions flew from the asari. She continued answering as best as she could, understanding the curiosity. It was comforting to know that Liara was more interested than scared. She didn't show a flicker of fear when Juliet spoke. Juliet, however, was weary of the krogan and the turian as they watched her speak with their crewmate. She knew they had stayed behind for protection, which Juliet also understood, though it didn't cease to make her uncomfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

Juliet walked through the darkness of the Normandy, her feet moving silently. Shepard didn't give her a tour of the ship. He had been busy, as she understood it. All of the crewmates were asleep at this time of night, but Juliet never slept. The vampirism rarely allowed her actual sleep instead of stasis. So she was now wandering, exploring the ship in her downtime. Shepard wanted her to go with him off the ship tomorrow, to test her abilities in combat.

She reached the bottom level of the ship, stepping out of the elevator, into more darkness. One small light was on by the elevator's entrance, allowing her to see a vehicle parked in the space. She walked slowly over to it, scanning her eyes over the console next to it. No sooner did she look at it did she feel another person in the room with her. Her quick movements darted out of their sight, landing behind the person she recognized as the turian crewmate. He looked around the room for a moment until she raised her voice and he turned around.

"I didn't touch anything." she told him.  
"What are you doing down here?"  
"Shepard never showed me around. I was exploring."  
"At this time of night?"  
"I don't sleep." she replied. "You don't either, I suppose?"  
"Couldn't."

He walked over to the console, looking over it as if to make sure she hadn't done anything.

"You worked for C-Sec." she said, making him turn to her again. "You're a cop?"  
"Not anymore." he said, crossing his arms. "I quit to join Shepard. I was trying to stop Saren but the council took me off the case. So I quit."  
"Sounds like you're not a very good turian." she said with a small smile.  
"I know, I tell myself that all the time." he replied.

Silence fell between them for a moment.

"You were the only one who didn't outright oppose me being here. In that meeting… Thank you."  
"I haven't met any other illegal species, but… You can't judge one person for an entire race."

Juliet realized the empathy he showed, the thought of him not being a typical turian himself. She nodded, looking down at the console again.

"Right." she agreed. "I wish everyone thought that way."  
"If everyone thought that way there would be a lot of things different about this galaxy." She nodded again. "I'm Garrus, by the way."

She looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Juliet." she said.

He held out his hand, which she shook. There was more silence after they let go.

"Shepard wants me to teach you how to shoot."

She shook her head slightly.

"I don't really need it."  
"You'd be surprised. Even Wrex uses a weapon."  
"I'm stronger than the krogan."

Garrus laughed, his mandibles flaring a bit.

"We'll see." he said.

Juliet looked back at the elevator, then back to Garrus.

"I should go." she told him.  
"See you tomorrow then."

She walked away from him, feeling herself growing uneasy at the thought of weapon's training.

The next morning, Juliet went to the med bay to meet the doctor Shepard told her about. When she went into the room, the doctor shifted before crossing her arms.

"I assume you are Juliet."  
"I am. Nice to meet you."  
"I can't say I'm thrilled about all of this, you know. If Shepard gets caught, we're all in trouble."  
"He won't get caught."

The doctor raised an eyebrow before opening her cooler, taking out a pack of blood.

"I'm going to give you human blood for today, but you are going to have to start drinking alien blood. I have more of that and less alien patients on this ship."

Juliet nodded, accepting the pack from her.

"Thank you." she said.  
"You're welcome… I hope I don't regret this."

Juliet turned to leave, but stopped when she thought about eating in front of the other crew members. She looked back at the doctor.

"Would you mind if I ate in here? Shepard doesn't want the other crew members to know about…. Me." Chakwas looked uneasy for a second, her eyes looking away from her. "Unless you're uncomfortable…"  
"You can eat here… But I will be stepping outside."

Chakwas walked past her, the door closing after her. Juliet stepped away from the windows of the med bay, walking over to a corner of the room before she bit into the plastic bag and ate her meal. When she was done and she turned around, Shepard was standing by the door, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. Juliet quickly wiped her mouth, waiting for him to say something. The silence between the two of them was uncomfortable for her, wishing she had the ability to read his mind in that moment.

He finally uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, watching her face closely.

"Do you feel under control?" he asked.  
"I'm under control, commander. I told you, I'm not new at this."  
"I need to be able to trust you. I have more important things to do than to watch you around my crew all day."  
"Then don't watch me, I prefer you don't."

Shepard nodded.

"I'm bringing you with my team today, like I told you last night. I'm bringing an extra squad mate in case something goes wrong."  
"Got it."  
"Suit up."

She followed him, knowing she didn't have armor of her own to dress in. They took the elevator down to the cargo hold, Juliet recognizing the vehicle from last night. Garrus and Ashley were already getting ready when Shepard and Juliet approached the weapon's bench.

"Oh come on!" Ashley protested. "Commander, this is-"  
"My call." Shepard told her.

Ashley turned away, strapping on the last gun she needed before walking over to the elevator. Garrus seemed to find humor in Ashley's anger.

"What?" Shepard asked him.  
"Ashley's blatant disregard for your choices as her commander just seems a little stretched to the max. Ever think she does it for attention?"  
"She had a rough past with aliens. Everyone gets a little nervous when illegal species are brought up in conversation." Shepard said, strapping his armor to himself now. He looked at Juliet. "You should put armor on."

Juliet grabbed a chest plate, looking down at the N7 logo before she tried it on. She had never worn armor before, tying it to herself as best as she could before working on the leg plates. Shepard came over and re-tied the back of her armor, as if he knew she was uncomfortable.

"If you ever want to buy your own armor at the Citadel when we're there, you can. You aren't Alliance, so, you don't have to wear the N7."  
"Ok."  
"You nervous?"

Juliet glanced at Garrus, who didn't appear to be listening as he loaded his guns.

"Not nervous… I just know your crew doesn't have my back… And I'm the one putting myself on the line to impress you."  
"I have your back." Shepard said sternly. "If they don't like you, they're going to have to work on that themselves. They do what I say in battle, and that includes looking out for each other."

Juliet was unconvinced at his words. As he strapped the last strap on her armor, the elevator came down, Liara stepping out of it.

"Commander, Ashley has asked me to take her place on this mission." Liara announced.  
"What?" he said, turning to her.  
"She doesn't want to go commander, but I do. This is… This is the last place my mother has been seen… Please, let me go."

Shepard looked upset that Ashley was refusing to do what he had told her, but nodded at Liara nonetheless.

"Of course Liara."  
"Thank you." she said, now getting herself ready for the mission.

Juliet looked down at the weapon bench, not knowing the difference between any of them. She had never fired a gun. She picked up what she thought was a simple pistol, looking at it carefully, making sure her fingers were nowhere near the trigger. Garrus stepped closer to her, taking the gun from her. He handed her a different one, another pistol, and a clip.

"This is going to be easier than the submachine gun."  
"Oh."  
"Watch." he said, showing her how to load the gun. He showed her the parts she needed to know about, explaining how guns could overheat and how to fix it. "Practice re-loading and unloading it."

She did what she was told, taking the clip out, then putting it back in. She did this as many times as she could before Liara said she was ready. Garrus loaded another pistol and gave it to Juliet, showing her how to strap it onto her armor.

Shepard followed Liara to the elevator, followed by Garrus and then Juliet. The elevator seemed slower than Juliet thought it was before. Liara and Shepard spoke about someone named Benezia as the elevator rose.

As the Normandy approached Port Hanshan, they were told they cannot dock without a scheduled appointment. Shepard walked over to where Joker was piloting the ship, the squad mates following him.

"I am a council spectre, allow us to dock." he said.

The people allowed them to dock after knowing Shepard was a spectre. Shepard, Liara, Garrus and Juliet all went into the airlock, setting foot on Noveria's docks.

* * *

**Hey guys, I know it's kinda moving slow, please forgive this, I haven't played the first Mass Effect in a while. It will pick up, I promise. I hope the pace doesn't deter you from reading for now. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Upon approaching the hangar, the squad was met with three people.

"That's far enough." the woman said, her gun in hand.  
"We're not here to cause problems." Shepard replied.  
"This is an unscheduled arrival, I need your credentials."  
"You first." Shepard said.  
"We're the law here." the other woman told him. "Show some respect."

Juliet raised her eyebrow, smirking slightly at the authority they thought they had over a spectre.

"I'm captain Maeko Matsuo."  
"I'm a spectre, my name is Shepard."  
"Load of horse crap, m'am." the other woman said to Matsuo.  
"We'll need to confirm that." Matsuo told him. "Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria. Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."

Shepard and Garrus drew their weapons while Liara lit up with biotics. Juliet stood ready to attack, not daring pull out the guns she didn't know how to fire. There was silence for a moment as the Sergeant pointed her gun back, the turian doing the same as Matsuo's face adopted a stern look.

"It would not be wise to search for the Geth unarmed." Liara told them.  
"I'll be keeping my gun." Shepard said.

A voice rang throughout the hangar.

"Captain Matsuo, stand down!" the woman said. "We've confirmed their identitiy. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."  
"You may proceed, spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational." Matsuo said.  
"Behave yourself." the Sergeant said.

Shepard walked forward as they dispersed back to their posts.

"Friendly bunch." Juliet said.  
"The Geth have everyone wound up." Liara told her.

They walked up some stairs to find a woman named Gianna, who excused the alarms when they went off.

"Weapon detectors, don't mind them." she said as Shepard approached her. "We apologize for the incident in the docking bay."  
"I appreciate your help." Shepard said.  
"You're welcome. You understand, the security chief was only doing her job. One of my duties for new arrivals: Do you have any questions?"  
"Pretty heavy security for such a small port."  
"We do everything to protect our clients."  
"I can't have my investigation hampered." Shepard said sternly.  
"Tread lightly." Gianna replied. "You'd need an asari lawyer to see your case through if they buried you in litigation."  
"Anyone unusual pass through here lately?"  
"An asari matriarch, a few days ago. Lady Benezia."  
"She's still here?" Liara asked.

Juliet could hear the worry in her voice.

"Can I speak with her?" Shepard asked.  
"She left for peak 15 days ago, but to the best of my knowledge, she's still there."  
"Can you tell me how to get there?"  
"You'll need to ask the administer for clearance to go up there."  
"Where is he?"  
"His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator."  
"Can we go in now?"  
"Of course. If you need any help, you can find me at the administrator's office." Gianna said before walking away.

Shepard looked at Liara.

"She is here… I can't believe it… I'm sure you wish to talk to me about this… About my mother."  
"No, I don't. You may not be Alliance, but I trust you. You're a part of my crew." Shepard told her.  
"Thank you, Shepard. That means a great deal to me."

Juliet envied the trust they had, knowing she had to work to get these people to accept her like that. She followed behind Shepard, all of them walking into the next room.

After taking the elvetaor, they went to see the administrator. The salarian was quite irritable. When Shepard asked about Saren, the salarian was reluctant to say anything. On the subject of Benezia, he also refused to say much. He told them Shepard couldn't go to Peak 15, since it was cut off from the storm.

"I'm sure there's someone else around here that can help us." Juliet murmered to the commander.

Shepard seemed to agree with this, telling the salarian that he had no more questions. They left the office, stopping at Gianna's desk.

"You've never worked in the corporate world, have you Commander Shepard?" she asked.  
"I need an alternative to get to Peak 15."  
"Talk to Lorik Keem. You should be able to find him in the hotel bar. I can't say more here."  
"Why talk to him?"  
"The administrator isn't the only one with a pass to Peak 15."  
"I've taken up enough of your time." Shepard said, walking away from her.

They walked up to the hotel bar, looking around carefully for the man Gianna had told them to. An asari summoned the group over to her, asking Shepard to speak with a man named Bargis. Shepard had refused, but Juliet accepted the device, walking over to Bargis as Shepard went to speak with Lorik. She spoke with Bargis, getting the information she needed before returning to the asari again. The asari transferred credits to Juliet, then thanked her for the help. Juliet joined Shepard as he spoke to Lorik. Juliet glanced around, noticing Garrus staring her down. She looked away, knowing he had caught on to what she did.

"If you recover the evidence from my office, I will give you my garage pass, and credits." the turian said.  
"Annolais didn't cancel your pass clearance?"  
"Why would he? There's nothing outside but snow."  
"How did you get a pass?"  
"I'm a manager, I'm free to come and go as I please."  
"You have a plan?"  
"I do. However, there is a matter of… What is that charming human phrase… 'fly in the lotion'? Violence against Mr. Annolais' thugs may be necessary, he has members of Hanshan security up there. He's paying them under the table. Ms. Matsuo is unaware of their outside employment."  
"I'll work on gathering your evidence."  
"Excellent. Do try to keep blood stains off the carpet, would you?"

Shepard took the card from Lorik, tucking it away in his armor. They all left the bar, ready to go up and fight the thugs. Juliet looked at Shepard.

"All you do is pull the trigger?" she asked, running her finger along the gun in her holster.  
"Point and shoot."  
"Isn't there a kickback?"  
"Not with that pistol, no." Garrus told her. "I gave you an easy one."

Juliet nodded, taking a deep breath as the elevator climbed slowly. She could feel her heart beating quickly, wishing she could just go in and tear the guards apart instead of trying to shoot at them. She was vulnerable, and hated it. She took in a deep breath again, the elevator stopping now. It opened to reveal the guards. A woman stepped forward.

"Freeze, Hanshan security! This office is sealed." she told them.  
"Lorik Keen gave me a pass in."  
"Are you working for him? He's being investigated."  
"Does Captain Matsuo know you're here?"  
"Hey, I'm not the one who wants Keen… How about this? You pretend you didn't see us, we pretend we didn't see you."

She walked away.

"Commander, there are other people in this room." Juliet told him. "I can hear and smell them."  
"That's useful." he said, taking out his gun. "You ready?"

Juliet nodded, taking out her pistol. Liara and Garrus prepared themselves aswell. They all took cover silently, Juliet closing her eyes for a moment before leaning up to take her aim. She was shaking slightly, aiming for the head of one of the thugs. They weren't detected yet, giving her time to make the first shot. Her stomach lurched, her finger pulling the trigger and killing the man. She ducked back down as the thugs all scattered, firing back at the intruders. Shepard nodded at her, then took his own aim, taking the thugs out with the rest of the squad. Juliet peeked up again, bitotics flying around from Liara to the other asari commandos in the room. Juliet aimed again, firing but missing. She could feel the asari getting closer, throwing biotics around the shatter their cover.

Shepard told them to find another way of protecting themselves, but Juliet put her gun down, running at the lit up asari quickly. In an instant, Juliet was behind the enemy, grabbing her head and snapping her neck. There were two other commandos still throwing biotics. One orb hit Juliet, making her recoil at the force of the magic. She ran forward, disarming and killing their opponents quickly.

After they were finished, Shepard put his gun away, walking over to Juliet as he stared down at the dead asari.

"I'll give you points for hand-to-hand combat… You need practice shooting though. Not all enemies are safe to get close to."  
"That's wasn't hand-to-hand, that was dirty." Garrus said, putting his own gun away. "Effective… But it was dirty."  
"We should go." Liara said.

Shepard continued up the stairs, his team following him. Juliet walked over to her gun, picking it up before catching up to them once again.


	4. Chapter 4

Juliet stood with her gun pointed to the back of the matriarch, ready to fire if needed. She knew she was little to no use, but she wasn't going to let Shepard down. She could tell Liara was struggling, keeping her gun up but fighting herself at the same time. Juliet couldn't imagine having to gun down a parent if she had to. The fight to get to the talking phase was hard; Shepard's squad had to fight off an entire asari commando squad to get Benezia to cease her attacks at them.

So they stood now, waiting for Benezia to say something, anything, as she stared at the glass that held a Rachni queen captive.

"This is not over. Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear!"  
"The rachni didn't cooperate with you, why should I?" Shepard asked.

Benezia turned to him now.

"I will not betray him." she said with difficulty. "You will…. You… You must listen. Saren still whipers in my mind, I can fight his compulsions, briefly. The Indoctrination is strong."  
"Why are you able to break free of his control now?"  
"I sealed a part of my mind away from the Indoctrination, saving it for when I could destroy him. It will not last long."  
"So you could turn on me again."  
"Yes, but it would not be my will, Shepard." she said. She sounded sincere. "People are not themselves around Saren. You would worship him, you would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flag ship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and it's power is extraordinary."  
"Sovereign isn't like other war ships. Where did he get it?"  
"I cannot say. The geth did not build it. It's technology is far more advanced than any known species. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first… I thought I was strong enough but instead I became a willing slave, ready to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the relay… It's position was lost thousands of years ago."  
"How does something that big go missing?"  
"Four thouseand years ago, a star nearby went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of it's system, but did not damage it. It's vector and speed are surprising, but when a millenia passed, the nova enveloped the relay."  
"Did someone on Noveria find it?"  
"Two thousand years ago, the racni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the memories of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind… I was not gentle."  
"How did the racni find it?"  
"They searched, patiently. They are territorial creatures, driven to close any possible way into their systems."  
"Why does Saren need the new relay?"  
"He believes it will lead him to the conduit. I would tell you more, but Saren did not share his council with me. I was merely a servant to his cause."  
"You can still make it right. Give me the information."  
"I was not myself, but, I should have been stronger." Benezia stepped forward, giving the chip to Shepard. "I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it, please."  
"Knowing the relay's coordinates is not enough, do you know where he planned to go from there?" Liara asked, her voice shaky.  
"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination, but you must find him quickly. I transcribed the directions to him before you arrived… You have to stop…. Me… I can't… His teeth are at my ear, his fingers on my spine… You should… You…"  
"Mother! Don't leave, fight him!"

Benezia was brought to her knees, holding her head as she tried fighting against Saren's grip on her mind.

"You've always made me proud, Liara." Benezia told her. She lit up with a purple biotic light afterwards, her face shifting to an irksome look. "Die."

It wasn't easy for Juliet to assist Shepard in gunning down the matriarch. Liara couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. She covered her face, not watching them kill her mother. When it was over, Juliet felt a wave of emotion flow through her. She touched Liara's shoulder, carefully bringing her into a hug as she cried. It was silent in the chamber they were in, not making it any better for the circumstance. All that was audible was Liara's sobs.

After a few moments, Shepard told them they needed to go. They turned to leave, Juliet letting go of Liara before she heard a noise behind them. Juliet turned, looking back to see one of the dead asari commandos standing upright, her eyes glowing slightly.

"Oh my god." Juliet breathed.

The others turned, drawing their guns quickly. Shepard stepped forward slowly. Juliet saw the rachni queen looking directly at them. Then, the asari spoke.

"This one serves as our voice." she said. "We cannot sing, not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."  
"Musics?" Shepard said. "What?"  
"Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, we move all. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind, the children you thought silenced. We are rachni."  
"How are you speaking through her?" Juliet asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Shepard did not object to her speaking, though.  
"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings and the other understands. She is weak to urging. She has color we have no meanings for. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful. The children we birthed were stolen from us before they had learned to sing. Lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved, they will only cause harm as they are."

Juliet was quite perplexed with what she was watching, the rachni speaking through the dead, as if the asari never died. Talking in such a manner about musics and color of language. Shepard kept speaking with it, eventually agreeing to let her free. When he did, the asari dropped to the floor, and the rachni queen escaped the room.

The walk back to the station was silent. It seemed longer to get back than it had to get there. Liara seemed detached, trailing behind the other three slightly.


	5. Chapter 5

The crew sat in the conference room, listening to Shepard explain what happened on Noveria to those who didn't go. Juliet watched Liara, who sat staring at the floor, not listening to the conversation.

"You let the rachni go?" Kaidan asked.  
"They deserved the chance." Shepard said.  
"A chance?!" Wrex said in protest. "They deserved to burn!"  
"Well they didn't burn. They lived. Any other questions?" The room was silent again. "Dismissed."

Juliet remained in her seat as the crew left. Shepard noticed, sitting down next to her.

"You alright?"  
"It has been…. Quite the day."  
"You did good."  
"You don't have to lie for my sake, commander. I know my shooting isn't good. No one's is the first time."

He smiled slightly, nodding as he looked around the room.

"Ya know… It was a nice thing, what you did for Liara. When she was crying."  
"A hug isn't much."  
"It's better than nothing."  
"I remember when my parents died… I remember… Everything."  
"How did they die?"  
"I killed them." she said, looking over at him. He was silent, waiting for her to explain further. She cleared her throat, her mind going back to that time in her life. "I was new… My bloodlust was strong. It always is when you change… I didn't have other vampires around to teach me how to adjust… I had to teach myself. It comes with age, though, to realize that being a murderous monster isn't something you want to do for eternity."  
"It was an accident then."  
"Yes."  
"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Juliet smirked.

"Do you wanna hear about it?"  
"I'm curious, but you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."  
"Yeah, Shepard, I kinda do. How else are you supposed to trust me?"  
"Fair enough." he said, nodding. "So tell me."

Juliet sighed, running her fingers through her long dark hair.

"I was a vampire for not even two days… My maker wasn't around to feed me. I was away from the city I lived in, so I went there. It was a mistake… I found my parents. I thought they could help me… I didn't realize what I was, but I knew there was something wrong. I could feel it in my gums, my teeth changing. I felt stronger. My Mom cooked for me… I took a bite, but it turned to ash in my mouth… I didn't understand until she had cut herself. She was cutting up something… I can't remember. I just remember looking down at her. My Dad came in the room, I think he'd heard her scream. I attacked him…"  
"What did you do after it happened?"  
"I ran." she said. "I haven't been back in that city since that day."  
"Why were you changed?"  
"I don't know. I never met my maker. I don't remember dying. I was passed out for a while. I woke up in pain, I was about half way through my transformation. I just didn't know it at the time."  
"I'm sorry it happened to you, Juliet."  
"I'm not." she said, looking at him again. "You need me. I can feel it. I need to help you."  
"I'm glad you are so eager to be here."

She smiled, nodding.

"Good."  
"There is a set up in the cargo hold for you to practice shooting. I want you down there for as long as it takes. We've set a course for Virmire. Garrus is ready to teach you. Just don't aim at Ashley."  
"I promise." she said, standing as he did. "Thank you commander."  
"Anytime."

Down in the cargo hold, Juliet stepped off of the elevator to be greeted immediately by Wrex, the krogan. He grunted at her.

"Vakarian tells me you did alright today."  
"Vakarian?"  
"Garrus."  
"Oh." Juliet said, glancing at the turian. "I wasn't that great."  
"if I ever get the chance to spar with you in hand-to-hand, don't think I won't pass it up. I hear you think you're stronger than krogan."

Juliet nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed that the krogan was challenging her. In truth, she'd fought krogan before, and they weren't alive to tell the tale.

"Let me know when you're ready then." she replied.

Wrex walked away from her, Ashley walking up to her now. Juliet took a deep breath, ready to hear whatever it was she had to say.

"Look." she started. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. We're working together regardless of pleasantries between us. I'd like to think you have my back on the battlefield, without worrying if you'll be chewing on my neck later. So let's just focus on our missions."  
"We don't have to be friends, Ashley. Believe it or not, though, I do need to trust my squad mates too."  
"Understandable. As long as you know I won't hesitate to kill you if you harm anyone on this ship."

Before Juliet could say anything, Garrus cleared his throat, making Ashley look back at him. She looked back at Juliet and nodded, walking back over to her station. Juliet walked over to Garrus, who had set up targets for her practice with.

"Don't worry about her." he told her quietly. "That's her way of saying she's going to try tolerating you."  
"Was she that way with you? She doesn't seem to like anyone."

Garrus laughed, nodding slightly.

"She isn't fond of the aliens onboard, no. She was never outright rude to us though. I think it's the illegal part that gets her when it comes to you. She's a good solider, Alliance through and through. She has a rough history with aliens."  
"Doesn't mean every alien is evil."  
"Glad we agree." he said, handing Juliet a gun. "This is the submachine gun you'd picked up earlier. You seemed to do well with a pistol but I think you would be better with something… Faster."

He told her what she needed to know to keep the gun working while she was in battle, then let her start aiming at the targets. The gun had the safety on for starters, allowing him to give her some pointers on effective aiming. She practiced aiming faster, able to draw her gun quickly and aim where she wanted to. He showed her how to take the safety off when she was ready, letting her fire at the small target. She pulled the trigger, getting used to the feeling of the automatic gun. She didn't like it as much, but she knew she had to learn.

He taught her about assault riffles next, again showing her how to load and aim. He let her fire some rounds, then showed her the sniper rifle. Juliet particularly liked the sniper, appreciating the scope to help her aim better.

"You seem to like this gun. It's long range, you know."  
"I know."  
"They're just as effective, but you have to be fast if it's a single shot rifle."  
"Right." she said, nodding.

She switched to a shot gun next, which she liked the least out of all the guns. She didn't like the short range weapons. They practiced, Garrus eventually loading a gun of his own and practicing with her. He wasn't a bad teacher for her, he was patient and knew a lot. She always kept going back to the sniper, though, practicing her loading after each shot.

Shepard's voice rang through the cargo hold after a few hours, telling them they were a half hour out from Virmire. Juliet unloaded her guns, putting them back.

"You're a fast learner." Garrus told her. "I think you'll end up being a good shot."  
"Thanks." she said. "I really appreciate this…"  
"You're welcome."

Juliet made her way through the ship, reaching the galaxy map where Shepard was standing. She stopped at his side.

"Am I staying behind this time?" she asked.  
"Do you feel like you're ready to work with guns?" he asked. "The geth are a bit more of a challenge than some rachni."

Juliet nodded, feeling confident that she could try putting her lesson to use.

"Yes." she said.  
"Then suit up."


	6. Chapter 6

The team was grouped on Virmire, ready to hit the base with a group of salarian soldiers. Wrex was upset about working with them, due to their invovlement with the genophage. Shepard was trying to talk Wrex down when Juliet joined his side, noticing how angry Wrex was.

"Shepard, this could save the krogan from extinction!"  
"These krogan aren't themselves anymore, they're Saren's puppets!" Shepard replied, trying to settle him down.

Wrex grunted, shaking his head at him.

"I can't let you do this Shepard. I'll kill you before I let you destroy this chance for my people!"

Juliet could see Ashley behind Wrex, gun ready to fire if he moved. Juliet grabbed the krogan, forcing him to the ground. Shepard tried separating the two while they wrestled for power, but Juliet didn't let up and neither did Wrex. Juliet took advantage of Wrex's rage, pinning him facedown on the ground. He fought underneath her, but she held her own and he was unable to stand.

"Listen." Juliet said.  
"Why should I listen to you?" he panted. "You have no right to speak for the krogan, you're no better than us."  
"If there was ever anyone to speak for you, it should be me. I can't reproduce either. That's not my point, Wrex."  
"What do you want?!"  
"These krogan aren't themselves! They're twisted, just like the matriarch was. They're pets, they're twisted, and they're never going to be the same. How much harm do you think they'll bring to your females if they ever got to Tuchanka?! Think about this Wrex. You can help redeem your people, starting here."

Wrex had calmed underneath her after a moment, sighing loudly before telling her to get off of him. His tone had changed, giving into what she had worked into his mind. As Wrex got to his feet, Juliet noticed a small crowd had gathered at the sight of the fight. Wrex looked at Shepard.

"Maybe it wasn't so bad to bring the illegal with us after all." he grunted. "She just saved your life."

Wrex pushed past Shepard, who looked at Juliet.

"I appreciate what you did… It was impressive."  
"Thanks." Juliet said, looking over at Ashley, who stopped at their sides.  
"Good work." she said.

Juliet nodded at her, not knowing how to take the compliment without picking it apart. Shepard put his hand on Juliet's shoulder.

"Get ready to go."

* * *

"Shepard, a geth ship just sent in more reinforcements!" Kaidan said through the comm. "It's headed your way!"  
"Already here!" Ashley replied over the comm. "They're everywhere!"  
"I'm coming back to get you." Shepard said.  
"Negative, there's too many of them!" Ashley replied. "I'm activating the nuke!"  
"What the hell are you doing, Ash?!" Shepard said, putting his hand to his ear now to make sure he heard her loud and clear.

Juliet glanced, who had been brought with Shepard, looked over at Garrus. They exchanged glances of worry, knowing this was about to get ugly.

"I'm making sure this bomb goes off, no matter what!" Ashley told him. There was a moment of silence of the comm system, then her voice came back on. "It's done. Go get the LT and get the hell out of here!"  
"Belay that." Kaidan replied. "We can handle ourselves. Go back and get Williams."

Shepard looked down at the ground, Juliet reading his struggle to choose between two of his companions. Juliet did not envy him.

"Ashley, radio Joker and tell him to pick us up at the bombsite." Shepard said, making his decision.  
"Yes, commander." Ashley said, her voice hinting defeat.  
"It's the right choice, Ash." Kaidan told her.  
"I'm sorry Kaidan." Shepard said. "I had to make a choice."  
"I understand commander. I don't regret a thing."

The radio went silent then. Juliet and Garrus waited for their orders, watching Shepard have a moment. He looked up at them after sighing, walking back the way they had come to go get Ashley. It was a hard situation to witness for Juliet. She didn't know how he could have the backbone to choose who lived and who died. She was thankful she wasn't the one in charge at that moment.

* * *

Juliet silently put her weapons away, making sure they were unloaded before she worked on her armor. She could feel someone behind her, turning to see that it was Garrus.

"Hey." he said. Juliet didn't respond; she turned back to her locker, putting things away quickly. "Want to talk about it?"  
"About what?" she replied.  
"Virmire."  
"There's nothing to talk about."  
"You're not used to death, are you?"  
"I'm a vampire. I kill for food. I'm undead. I know what death is like."  
"I mean to have a friend die."  
"He wasn't a friend to me. He hated me, just like every other person on this ship." she snapped. "To satisfy your curiosity, my issue is that I have no military training. No one ever taught me that death is expected. Obviously it is, but… I just never imagined something like that… It's eye opening."  
"To military life?"  
"To the fact that the Reapers are going to destroy everything."

She slammed her locker shut, turning back to the turian.

"We can beat them." Garrus told her. "We have to focus on the task at hand, we can't give up now."

She didn't know what it was about Garrus that drove her crazy, making her so angry so quick, but at the same time, she knew there was truth in his words. If they just gave up now, everything was already lost.

"Thanks Garrus." she said. His pep talk wasn't huge, but it brought her mind back out of the clouds.

He nodded as she walked past, making her way over to the elevator, becoming silent once more.


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for the confusion. I had forgotten to post this chapter somehow, I didn't realize this one was missing. I had put out the next chapter already, so I apologize.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Ilos was a difficult run for the team. Geth were everywhere, getting left to guard the temple as Shepard just missed Saren. Juliet was starting to get annoyed with this man; he was like smoke in their hands. They drove the mako through geth after geth, making it to the Mu Relay. Time was limited, but Shepard never once took his foot off the gas pedal. Juliet glanced at him as they drove, shaking her head.

"We're not gonna make it." she told him.  
"We're gonna make it."

Juliet looked up again, her heart pounding now. She looked back to him.

"Shepard-"  
"I've got it!" he yelled, his knuckles white on the wheel.

Juliet glanced at Garrus, who remained silent but she could see the worry on his face too. She closed her eyes as they powered through the geth colossus, the mako hitting the relay and transporting them through the traverse. Juliet felt them land hard, opening her eyes now as she gripped the walls. They crashed into debris that now filled the Citadel, the mako coming to a stop. Juliet could smell blood, her head snapping to the source. Shepard had hit his head during the crash, though he was moving to get out of the mako now. She followed him out, Garrus close behind them. It took great effort for Juliet to peel her eyes from Shepard's head, forcing herself to ignore her thirst.

They joined the fight quickly, making their way to the presidium to connect with the councilors. Shepard turned on the comm, Joker's voice connecting to their ears.

"Commander? Shepard, tell me that's you."  
"It's me Joker. I need you to get to the Destiny Accension, protect the council at all costs!"  
"Aye sir."

Juliet looked at him, bewildered.

"What?" he said after closing the channel.  
"You're going to protect them?" she said, her brow furrowed. "After all they did, you're going to back them?"  
"Yes Juliet, I am going to protect them. This is bigger than humanity."  
"I hope you know what you're doing." she replied, crossing her arms.

The conversation was quickly over as they were joined by Saren. He tried to get Shepard to understand what he was doing, to tell him how good Sovereign was. That the Reapers were supposed to come. Shepard wasn't having it, though, shutting down any attempt Saren made at convincing him of anything. Juliet and Garrus waited behind their cover, listening for orders from Shepard as he argued with the crazed turian. After a few moments of talking, Saren seemed to change, to break through of his original theory. Juliet watched him put his own pistol under his chin, pulling himself out of his indoctrination.

They stood from their cover now, joining Shepard's side once again. He seemed upset, like he had really wanted to help Saren. Juliet put her cold hand on his armored back.

"You tried." she told him. "He helped himself… He saw the right path…"  
"Go make sure he's dead." Shepard replied.

Juliet nodded, jumping down into the shattered glass to check Saren's motionless body. She looked back up at Shepard.

"He's gone Commander."  
"Let's get the hell out of here." he told them.

Juliet turned to leave, but Saren's body came to life, ripping all remnants of organic life from itself, turning into a skeletal drone of Sovereign.

"I am Sovereign." It said.  
"Shepard." Juliet called out, finding cover quickly.

Garrus was soon beside her, taking the safety off his gun. He turned to her as the skeletal thing jumped to the ceiling, then to the walls.

"This is going to be fun." he said.

Juliet smiled, taking her own gun out and pointing it to the creature. It was hard to get a good aim, as it's strategy was to hop around then regenerate it's shields after they were taken down. Juliet was deemed almost useless, hoping the two men could make up for her lack of power. She sat behind cover, loading her gun when Garrus turned to her, stopping her.

"Don't." he said. "We need force. We need your style."

She shook her head at him, as if she was too scared of it before he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Go, Juliet. We've got your back."

She felt vulnerable, putting her trust in the men to have her back should the creature unleash full hell on her. She looked out of cover, spotting the thing. What was she scared of? She was a vampire. She was stronger than any of them. She stood, shaking off the weakness her thirst gave off, running towards the creature as it screamed at her. She grabbed it, clawing and ripping at anything she could get her fingers on. The boys unloaded on the thing, Juliet bringing it to the ground. It screamed again, making her hiss in response. She felt her instincts of survival kicking in, giving her that final surge to kill the beast. After it gave up, after she had finally killed it, she stood still, panting as she stared down at it. She knew it was dead, that it was gone. She felt the other two walking over to her. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before turning to them.

"Nice work." Shepard said before the place started crumbling, debris falling down in large chunks. He pushed them to leave. "Go!"

Juliet ran, Garrus behind her as the place came down, burying them quickly. The force of the building coming down on Juliet didn't hurt. It barely effected her, but she knew Garrus was hurt under the debris that laid on him. She shoved the piece off of her own self, rushing over to him, looking around for a sign of Shepard.

"Garrus." she breathed, taking the chunk of metal off him.

He coughed, reaching up to the hand she offered him. He stood, limping as she supported his weight, his arm over her shoulder.

"Shepard." he said.  
"I don't know where he is, I can't hear him." she said, looking back as best as she could.

Soldiers were rushing in now, Captain Anderson with them. They helped Juliet with Garrus, Anderson walking over to her.

"Where is Shepard?" he asked.

Juliet looked back at the debris again. It moved ever so slightly. She ran back, at the debris field in less than a second, unburying Shepard from the metal. She helped him to his feet as he cradled his arm. The soldiers got to them as quick as they could, taking Shepard from Juliet. Anderson clapped her on the back as they left the ruined room, rejoicing in the victory they had just claimed against Sovereign and his geth.

It was two weeks before Shepard met back up with his crew on the Normandy, able to celebrate with them at the win they had. Juliet was happy to see that he and Garrus were ok, after being under the falling debris. A broken leg and arm between the both of them was good odds, she figured. She hugged Shepard when he finally came aboard again.

"I'm glad you're ok." she said, smiling at him slightly.

He smiled back, walking further into the ship with her. He told them how the council wanted him to scout the traverse, keeping a look out for rogue geth forces, taking them down if found. He told them he was dismissing any crew that wanted to go, letting them make that decision for themselves. Juliet barely gave it a thought, knowing there was nothing else in the galaxy for her to go back to. Her family was here, this ship was her home. She told him she'd stay, so long as he wouldn't be in trouble for having her. Much to her surprise, no one knew about her illegal status, though she was glad. He agreed to let her stay.

Juliet ran through the Normandy, dodging explosions and hissing as the fire threatened her flesh. She made it to the Commander, yelling for him as he put his helmet on.

"It's going down!" she shouted. "Joker's not leaving the cockpit, he won't abandon ship!"  
"I'll get him."  
"I'll go with you."  
"I need you to get everyone in their shuttles."  
"I'm not leaving you here!" she told him.  
"Juliet. Go. Now."

It took everything inside of her to turn away, to leave him behind as he ran into the line of fire for Joker. She got into the escape pod, buckled herself down and waited for it to release itself into space. She closed her eyes, waiting to hear the ship blow up, waiting to hear that one last shuttle detach itself from the Normandy. When she heard it, she sighed, relief filling her chest.

After the shuttles landed, making port at the nearest planet, the crew regrouped, Juliet searching frantically for the Commander. She caught sight of Joker struggling his way out of his pod, and she ran over to him. Her heart broke when she saw he was alone. His face said it all, but she asked anyways. She didn't want to believe it.

"Where is he?" she asked. "Where is he?!"  
"Gone."  
"Gone, where?!"  
"He… He made sure I got in. He's gone."

Juliet closed her eyes tightly, a shudder running through her body. She felt herself starting to shake, thoughts flying through her head. How would the galaxy move on without their hero? How would they stop the Reapers now? How would she live? He was the closest thing she had to a family, to a friend. He was a friend. He was all she had.

She didn't realize Joker's hand was on her shoulder before she shrunk down to her knees, the weight of everything crashing down on her. Everything would be different now. The last six months of a normal life on the Normandy was now gone, and so was Shepard. She let herself break for a moment, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat before she looked at Joker, who was now sitting next to her. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry." he choked out, knowing how close she had been to the commander.

She couldn't do anything but put her hand on his shoulder now, nodding at him. She couldn't tell him it was ok, but it wasn't. She couldn't tell him everything would work out, because she knew it wouldn't. People started rushing to them, noticing the crew had come in escape pods. The hospitality was nice, giving them anything they needed, including free transport to the Citadel. It wasn't enough for Juliet, though. She sat on the ship now, knowing that as soon as word got out about everything, the galaxy would go crazy. No one would have hope, life as they knew it was going to go up in flames. No one would be organized and ready to take on the Reapers, to take Shepard's place. Nothing was going to be right anymore.

Juliet was quite mistaken. When they got back to the Citadel, the council was quite upset that the Normandy was gone, assuring the crew that Shepard would have a proper ceremony for everything he'd done. They allowed the crew first priority to hotel living, making sure no one would be sleeping on the streets. Juliet didn't care about anything, not about the hotel rooms, or the council's promise for a ceremony. She had hardly cared enough to go to the now Councilor Anderson's office after he summoned the crew. He wished to say some words to them, about Shepard, to let them know his work would be carried on and that they would be the first pick of the crew that helped the next person. Juliet didn't listen to any of it. She stood in the back of the room, her arms crossed, her eyes on the ground as the crew sniffled and stood, agreeing with everything Anderson had promised.

When they were dismissed, Juliet stood still, staring at the floor with her hand on her face. She didn't realize Anderson was watching her until he cleared his throat, the silence finally pulling her out of her daze. He walked over to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.  
"Fine."  
"I don't think I ever got a name from you. I remember you pulled Shepard out of the rubble…"

Juliet looked into his eyes. Something in his face changed after looking at her for a moment; he knew. She backed away.

"Please." she said, shaking her head. "I don't mean you harm."  
"How long have you been on the Normandy?"  
"Please. Don't punish his name… He did this with good intentions."

Anderson shook his head, sighing heavily as he looked down at his feet.

"I have to tell the other councilors about this…" he told her after a moment.  
"Please-"  
"A hearing will have to be put in place. To figure out what to do…. About you." Juliet thought about killing him then, her instinct for survival pushing into her mind. She batted the thought away quickly though, staring at him quietly. "I will keep it quiet for today… So you can sleep, get some rest in your room. I need you to come back here tomorrow morning. I'm trusting you… Can I do that?"

Juliet knew they would put her to death. She knew they would keep this secret, not wanting the public to know that one of their spectres had accepted an illegal species onto their ship. She nodded at him, turning to leave quickly. She put her hand over her mouth, putting her hand out to support herself on the wall for a moment. Her heart weighed heavily in her chest, not knowing where to turn or what to do. Either she died, surrendering herself to the council, or she ran. What would she run to? What would be the point? Shepard was gone, and he was never coming back. What point was there to running? The Reapers were going to kill everyone anyways.

She made her way to the hotel, wondering what she should do in her final hours. Should she go on a killing rampage? Lord knew she needed blood, she hadn't fed in days. She looked around in the lobby before entering the elevator, seriously considering it for a moment.

The elevator couldn't be any slower, carrying her up as if she was too heavy for it to go on. When it reached the floor she'd been designated to, she walked tiredly down the hall. Her throat was raw, her mind dizzy, begging her to just feed. As she walked past each door, she could smell different species, different blood types. She fought herself hard before she had made it to her room. She didn't turn on the lights, didn't close the shades on the window. She simply sat on the floor, looking out at the shuttles that drove by, oblivious to what was going on in the galaxy. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Reapers were here to bring hell to the galaxy, and the one person everyone knew could stop them, was dead. Juliet felt herself break, giving up as she brought her knees to her face, putting her head down and crying. The night seemed endless, hours passing by before she finally laid down, not bothering to move to the bed, and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**If you haven't read the previous chapter, please go back. It helps get rid of the confusion. I had forgotten to post a chapter, although I'd written it already. Thanks!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Juliet was shaken awake the next morning, her senses burning at the smell of the person who had a hold of her. She looked up, her eyes focusing quickly.

"Garrus?" she said, her voice hoarse.  
"You have to get up, they're coming for you." he said urgently.  
"What?"  
"C-Sec. They have a warrant for your arrest, the council knows about you. Come on."  
"Where are we going?" she asked, getting to her feet.  
"We're getting out of here." he replied, making a start for the door.  
"Garrus." He turned back to her, his face showing what she knew to be turmoil. How could it be anything else? He and Shepard had been friends, the three of them went on practically every mission together after Juliet was brought onto the Normandy. She shook her head at him. "Where are we going?"

He walked back over to her, grabbing her wrist tightly.

"Shepard is gone." he snarled.  
"I was there." she replied.  
"They know he had you on board… They're coming to get you. We have to leave."  
"That's not what I asked you."  
"Somewhere safe, unless you want to be executed."

Juliet sighed, shaking her head and following him out of the door. They walked quickly down the hallways, evading anyone they saw. Garrus eventually let go of Juliet's wrist, coming to a stop at a shuttle.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.  
"No. The shuttle will take you to a warehouse. I'll be there later, I have some business to take care of."  
"Garrus, I'm not going-"

He turned on her grabbing her shoulders a shaking her slightly.

"Juliet, I need you to go to the warehouse, I have to be sure they will give up the search for you. We just lost Shepard, we don't need to lose you too."

She didn't like him telling her what to do, but she nodded and he let go of her. She reluctantly go in the shuttle and nodded to him as means of saying goodbye before the doors closed and it took off.

The warehouse she was brought to wasn't hard to recognize. It was the same it had been, even with the Citadel being partially destroyed in the attacks. Juliet could smell others in the room, but she stuck to the shadows and kept herself hidden silently, watching the shuttle leave. She sat in the darkness, waiting where the shuttle had left her. The people she sensed eventually roamed to where she was, unknowing of her presence in the shadows. The batarians looked like mercs, or so she thought they did. They had guns and fancy matching armor. She wondered what they were there for. The warehouse simply stored shuttles that needed repairing. It wasn't much to steal.

Still, the mercs wandered, talking to each other, the small group seeming to stand guard. They were joined by other small groups after a short while, adding to their numbers by quite a few. Juliet was starting to feel over powered by her lust for blood. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face, trying to shake off the feeling. She listened to the mercs talking about the job they were doing, knitting her eyebrows and smirking at how foolish it sounded to try making the warehouse into a merc base.

They spoke for a long while, Juliet not understanding how mercs processed thoughts. They figured they could do whatever they wanted, because they wanted it. It made her shake her head. She could hear a shuttle in the distance, making her heart pick up at the thought of Garrus walking into the situation. They could be other mercs though, she told herself, wondering if they were expecting anyone else. They turned when the shuttle landed, pointing their guns up. They obviously weren't expecting anyone, all of the aiming at the door as it opened.

Juliet stood quickly, rushing over to shield Garrus from any bullets they decided to fire. They seemed surprised that she had come from nowhere, two of the mercs stepping forward with their guns ready. Garrus moved to Juliet's side, his own gun out now. Juliet put her arms out.

"No." she said. "We don't need this."  
"I'll decide that." the batarian said. "Who are you?"  
"My name is-" Garrus nudged her, shaking his head. She looked back to them. "My name is Penny."  
"What do you want? You're in our warehouse."  
"I've been listening to your plans for some time." she laughed. "This is hardly your warehouse."  
"We'll leave." Garrus told him, grabbing Juliet's arm, his gun still raised in his other hand.  
"I don't think so." the batarian said, his finger moving to the trigger.

Juliet was behind him, grabbing his arm and twisting it back in a matter of seconds. He howled out in pain as she bit into his neck. She let his body go limp to the floor when she was finished as the other mercs backed away from her.

"She's a vampire!" one yelled, raising his gun.

She smirked, letting him shoot at her. The bullets ticked her skin, making no progress in his attempts to harm her. She rushed over to him, disarming his efficiently before grabbing the collar of his armor.

"Leave." she said. "Or I'll kill the rest of you."

The batarian attempted picking his gun up again, but Juliet was faster, grabbing his head and snapping it before letting him fall to the floor. The other mercs had either taken cover or frozen in fear, their guns shaking as they pointed them at her. She shook her head, her smirk still etched on her face as she turned back around, walking over to where Garrus stood ready to fight.

"We should go." he told her, glancing over in her direction.  
"Lead the way."

* * *

Juliet looked around Garrus' apartment slowly, taking in her surroundings as he closed the shades, hoping no one would find out he had her here. He looked at her, sighing heavily before walking over to her and bringing her into a hug. She was confused as to why he was acting this way, but death always changed people, or so she believed.

"I'm sorry." he told her.  
"For what?" she asked, letting go of him now.  
"About Shepard."  
"Why are you saying sorry to me? He was your friend too."  
"That doesn't mean I'm not sorry for what it's doing to you."  
"I'm fine."

He shook his head.

"Stubborn human." he mumbled, walking past her now.  
"I'm not human." she told him.  
"Look, they are keeping a look out for you. Anderson told the other council members what you were-"  
"I know. He told me he would."  
"What?"  
"He told me yesterday that I would be arrested."  
"Why did you stay here?"  
"Where else was I supposed to go?"  
"Anywhere!"

She scoffed at him, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

"You aren't my parent, Garrus, don't stand there and act like you know what is best for me."  
"Shepard needs us all alive, to help finish what he started."  
"I'm not alive!"  
"You know what I meant."  
"So what, I stay here until you can clear the charges?" He gave her a questioning look. "You're in training, I hear."  
"How did you hear that?"  
"Anderson told us when we went to his office. As if it reassures that things will get done."  
"I can't clear your charges." he told her, a growl starting in his chest. "I can keep you here until it dies down, then when it's blown over a bit, you can leave."  
"And go where, Garrus?! There is nothing out there for me! Why the hell else would I stay?!"  
"Juliet, you can go anywhere and start raising assets for the war against the Reapers. You were with Shepard, people will listen to you."  
"Really." she huffed. "They listen to everything you say then?"  
"No-"  
"I trust the whole fleet of Palaven is ready for the Reapers? Every turian is ready to go?"  
"No-"  
"Don't stand there and tell me things are easy to go out and do! Especially alone! I have nothing to leave to and no reason to go."  
"So you'd rather die."  
"What else do I do, Garrus?!"  
"Fight." he told her. "You fight for him, unless you're alright with helping kill his goals."

Juliet swung her arm through the air, the back of her hand making contact with his face. He recoiled, the growl growing deeper in his chest. She knew she'd provoked him. She held her chin high, crossing her arms and standing her ground.

"Anything else you'd like to say?" she asked.  
"Are you done giving up?"

Juliet let out a long breath, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. There was a few moments of silence before she cleared her throat, which made him look up at her.

"I'm sorry."  
"It's alright." he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can sleep on the bed while you're here. I'll use the couch."

She nodded, walking over to the bed and sitting down. He sat down next to her.

"He trusted us. He believed in us. We have to keep fighting to end the Reaper threat. It's easy to give up… That's why he never did."

She smiled slightly, nodding.

"What are we going to do?"  
"I'm going to finish my Spectre training and we're going to raise awareness. Get as many allies working with us as possible, and prepare."  
"Then I'll go with you."

He smiled, patting her on the back before standing to walk over to the couch. She looked towards the bathroom, standing now.

"I'm going to take a shower… You don't mind right?" she asked.  
"By all means." he sighed as he stretched out on the couch.

She closed the door behind her, leaning against the sink as she shook off her worries. It had been a long day. A shower would do her nicely before she slept.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys!**

**So, I am very sorry to those who are still following this story. I know I have been less than attentive to this fic as of late. several things are contributing to this. I have another Mass Effect fic that is taking up any free time I have, which isn't alot since I work a full-time job. I apologize for this. It sucks when life starts catching up with you, huh?**

**Anyways, I am going to try updating more often. That is, if I get any kind of response from any following I may still have for this story. I may finish it anyways, but I am so focused on the other fic right now. Again, I apologize for the neglect.**

**I hope you enjoy, and please, feel free to review, rate and even PM me if you have anything to say.**

**Thanks guys! (:**

* * *

A few months had passed by since Juliet had began staying at Garrus' apartment and she was growing quite fond of the idea of living there forever. It was much nicer being in an apartment, rather than a ship. The Normandy might have been nice, but it lacked in the hospitality department. Garrus was gone a lot, though she didn't mind being alone. She'd been living on her own for almost two hundred years before living on the Normandy. It was nice when he was home though. Unfortunate as it was, Shepard's death only made them closer friends. She didn't let people in easy, but she didn't feel a struggle with him. She trusted him. He wouldn't turn her over to the council. Even as a spectre, he'd keep it a secret.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the door opening quickly, a furious Garrus stepping before it closed again. Juliet stood, giving him a concerned look.

"What's wrong? Have a bad day?"  
"I spoke to the council today… They wanted to talk about my training."  
"Oh god… They didn't stop the training did they?"

Garrus scoffed lightly, shaking his head at her.

"I asked them if they'd found Shepard's body yet. They said they'd given up on it, that if the Alliance wanted to search, they would. And they aren't."  
"Oh." Juliet said, knitting her eyebrows. "Is that it?"

He looked up at her in frustration. She'd never seen him so upset.

"They're dismissing everything he stood for, everything he'd done. They aren't even trying to find him anymore, everyone's ignoring everything he warned them about!"  
"Garrus, a Reaper invasion is quite hard for people to believe-"  
"They have pieces of Sovereign, they know exactly what's coming! They just refuse to believe it! Shepard died trying to make sure we were ready."

Juliet walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"It's all going to be alright. Everything will smoothe over."  
"Before or after the Reapers kill us all?"

She sighed, letting go of him as he walked past her. She watched him gather up some clothes and shove them into a bag.

"What are you doing?"  
"Leaving."  
"What? Leaving? Leaving where?"  
"Anywhere. I have to do this."  
"Garrus, what about your training?"

He stopped for a moment, looking at her sternly.

"I won't keep training just to work for the people who are burying this. They'll only have more power to shut me up. It won't work."  
"What about me?"

He looked around the apartment for a moment, then back to her.

"Come with me."  
"Where?"  
"The first place out of here. Wherever we go, we'll work to keep Shepard's warnings alive."

Juliet nodded, knowing she had only one other option.

"I'll get my things together."

He went back to packing his own bag before she turned away, reaching for her rucksack.

* * *

Juliet had heard about Omega, about it's rules. Upon arrival, she learnt that there was only one… She wasn't fond of Aria T'Loak. The asari seemed to think herself unbreakable, as if she was on top of the world. Well, technically, she was. Everyone on Omega listened to her, they followed her rules; They didn't fuck with her. Juliet enjoyed the fact that Omega was otherwise lawless. She was free here.

Garrus seemed to be on a mission once they were finished speaking with Aria. Juliet wondered where he was going. Had he been here before? The way Aria spoke to them, she didn't believe he had. She grabbed his wrist as he walked, bringing herself close to him as she whispered.

"Where are we going?"  
"We'll find somewhere to sleep for the night and start working tomorrow."  
"Garrus just stop for a minute."  
"No."  
"Garrus, stop." She held his wrist, pulling him back. He was surprised by her strength as he was spun back around to face her. It angered him briefly before he saw the look on her face.  
"Please don't go Nicholson on me…"  
"What?"

Juliet smiled slightly, shaking her head.

"Just keep your head together…We need to communicate."  
"Listen… I just need to get started."  
"I know."

He gave her a look that told her he knew she was feeling anxious about being here. He knew vampires were more comfortable living in the shadows. In the past four months that they'd been sharing an apartment, Juliet hadn't once left it. Not to his knowledge, anyways.

They found a dark space in a secluded area of Omega to sit and sleep in for the night. Juliet wouldn't sleep, but she would be sure no one bothered them while Garrus got some rest. She listened to him take in a breath, then let it out, then take another, and release it again. She observed silently as he slept, listening to his heartbeat, counting his breaths, anything to keep her mind off the fact that they were completely screwed. She wished Shepard would come back. The galaxy needed him back. It was just a pity that they didn't know it yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys!**

**I decided to write another chapter, I had some ideas for this one. I am kinda straying away from the Mass Effect plotline a bit. Post Mass Effect 1, pre Mass Effect 2 territory. So much freedom, ya know?**

**Also, before you guys go nuts after this chapter, I am very well read into the mythology of vampires. I do believe vampires can have tattoos, seeming they can have piercings. Plus, all authors write their vampires a bit differently. So there. :P**

**Anyone who also reads "The Guardian", I am sorry for the delay in recent posts, I am starting the next chapter tonight. Thanks for the understanding. (:**

**I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to rate and review and PM me if you have anything to say. (:**

**Thanks!**

* * *

Time went by quickly once Garrus and Juliet started their work on Omega. At first, it was them trying to raise awareness of the Reapers. Then, it was their warnings being ignored. Then they were pissed off, then they wanted to get someone's attention. Juliet was no stranger to having to control her mind, to control her temper, her strength, her thirst. She was able to control every ounce of anger she felt when she thought of Shepard's death. She was able to keep herself together, and to make sure she wasn't giving herself away. Being with Garrus, though, she felt herself slipping into a rage. She could feel herself wanting revenge from whoever it was that killed him. She was slipping into the anger alongside her turian friend, who only got more desperate to make changes to the pit of a place they now called home. It wasn't long before they lost sight of the reason they'd originally ventured to Omega.

It was never civilians that they attacked and it was never anyone innocent. Juliet hated it there on Omega. Freedom seemed too perfect for her. Aria thought she owned the place, and let everyone make their own rules unless it involved pissing her off. Only then would she step in. Juliet couldn't stand how lawless the place was. After a year and six months, she'd learnt that being an illegal species made her humble. She often laughed at herself when she thought of herself as such, but it was true. She'd lived in the shadows for quite some time. People here didn't care if they were caught being idiots. If she were to be caught in the open, she'd be killed.

This was the exact reason she and Archangel were sitting in silence in the highest level of their base, resting up for the night before their assault on the Blue Suns' base the next day. The rest of their team were enjoying their downtime for the night. It was simple for Juliet to sit up all night, but Garrus felt it was his job to sit with her. He'd done so every night. She was starting to worry about him.

She looked over at him, clearing her throat.

"You should sleep."  
"I'll sleep later."

She looked behind her, being sure the team was still downstairs. She looked back to him sternly.

"We have a big day tomorrow, don't you think you should rest?"  
"I'm fine, Juliet."

She shook her head.

"Stubborn turians."

He laughed at her lightly, looking out the window at the base.

"Are you ready for it?" he asked.  
"I'm more worried about the team."  
"They're ready."  
"Are you?"

He folded his arms, nodding as he looked back to her.

"It needs to be done. Their work needs to be put to an end."  
"You really think an assault on their base will put an end to what they're doing? You're smarter than that."  
"We have to try." She sighed as she shook her head, shrugging off her jacket to reveal the tank top she wore underneath. Garrus was surprised to see the space of her back covered with ink when she turned around. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling the fabric down slightly. He recognized the symbol she'd branded herself with. The wings of the black tattoo spreading from one shoulder to the other. He shook his head at her. "What is this?"

She didn't fight to pull away, letting him look at the tattoo. After a moment of him looking, she stepped away, turning back to him with a look on her face that Garrus couldn't read. She shrugged.

"I guess you're a symbol of good to me too."

He sighed as she ran her finger over the matching symbol on the front of his armor. He could tell she was conflicted, though he didn't know what was on her mind. He stepped back, looking out of the window once again.

"You've got Archangel's symbol on you… How are you going to talk your way out of working with me now?"

She smirked slightly, folding her arms as she joined him in looking out over the base.

"I never denied it in the first place… Plus, who sees it when I'm in armor anyways?"  
"You're insane."

She smiled, hearing the faint laughter of their team downstairs.

"Go get some sleep Garrus." she said.  
"No. I'm fine."

She turned to him now, shaking her head.

"If you're not going to take yourself to bed, I'll drag you."

He laughed, reluctantly walking to the door.

"Fine. I'll leave you alone."

She watched him leave, taking a deep breath after the door was shut. She rubbed her face, wishing he hadn't seen the tattoo. She owed him her life though, letting her escape the Citadel with him when she was being chased down. A tattoo for him was something she was glad to have gotten. She sighed, leaning against the wall as she kept a look-out over the base for the night.

* * *

Juliet wasn't sure how the fight had gone wrong. The infiltration of the Blue Suns' base was almost foreseen, as if they had predicted Archangel's team would come. Maybe the leader's paranoia had finally given him the upper hand against Archangel. Either way, they were in deep shit now. The Blue Suns had the team of four on their knees with their hands behind their heads, waiting for Tarak to get there. They had their guns trained on them intently. Juliet glanced over to where her rifle lay on the ground, then to Garrus. He gave her a calm look. She nodded ever so slightly in return.

The door of the base whooshed open to reveal a fuming Tarak. His anger quickly faded at the sight of Archangel on his knees in surrender.

"Well well." he said, folding his arms, his goons still pointing their guns at the small team. "Look at this."

He took a cheap hit to Garrus, making him recoil. Juliet did her best to keep her anger down as she watched him shift back into the position he'd been in on his knees.

"Still scared, Tarak?" Garrus smirked.  
"I'm not scared of some vigilantes playing hero."  
"Then why are we here?"  
"You think I'm letting you walk? Even you should know better than that Archangel. Get up." The goons grabbed Garrus by the armor, forcing him up to his feet. The batarian tilted his head slightly. "Ya know… You would have been a great recruit."  
"Too bad."  
"We're going to kill you, Archangel. You and your team."  
"Try it."

The batarian stepped back slightly, trying to read Garrus' facial expression before nodding to one of his mercs, who raised his gun at the turian next to Juliet and pulled the trigger. Juliet's jaw dropped in horror, letting out a small whimper as she looked away from the now limp body in front of her. She saw Garrus stiffen. He expected the batarian to be bluffing. Tarak nodded at another goon, who pointed his gun at Juliet now. Before she could do anything, Garrus stepped in front of her, disarming the man quickly.

Juliet leapt up to her feet, running for her rifle before she was grabbed. She heard a gun shot, but she didn't search for the source. She kicked at the merc who had a hold of her, grabbing her before reaching for her rifle and turning to Tarak. She felt her stomach drop at the sight of Garrus on his knees again. Tarak had a gun pressed to his temple angrily.

"What's it gonna be?" he asked, eyeing the merc she held captive.  
"You tell me." she replied.  
"This doesn't have to be messy."  
"Of course it does." she barked, looking at the now dead squad she and Garrus had taken with them. "Those were my men."  
"Your men? So you give the orders, huh?"

She glanced at Garrus before nodding.

"Of course."  
"How about you let my team mate go."  
"Let mine go."

The batarian laughed slightly.

"I can't do that."  
"Seeing you showed no mercy to my men, I should show no mercy to you."

She shoving the merc to her knees, pointing the gun at her head now. Tarak shifted his weight slightly.

"Let her go." he demanded.  
"Give me Archangel and you can have her."

The batarian didn't back down.

"I should at least know a name of the leader behind Archangel's work."

Juliet smirked.

"Molly." she said.  
"What?"  
"Molly Hayes." The batarian didn't seem satisfied with her answer, gripping his gun tighter. "Listen, if you don't let him go in the next five seconds, I am going to shoot your friend, and snap your neck."

Tarak laughed, making Juliet smile with him. She let him have his moment before she pulled the trigger. His smile faded quickly. Juliet was behind him in less than a second, her hands on the sides of his head. Garrus was at his feet as quickly as he could get there, holding his hands out to stop her.

"No!"

She held still, the batarian struggling underneath her.

"What?!" she hissed.  
"Leave him."  
"Are you crazy?!"  
"He's nothing. Let's just go."  
"He's nothing but dead."  
"Let go of him Molly, it's an order."

She glared at him for a moment before letting the batarian go. He slumped to the floor, sitting still before moving to the now limp merc. Juliet looked to Garrus, who watched Tarak.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly.  
"He has information we need." he replied before walking over to the batarian. "Remember my mercy the next time you get the chance to kill me."

Juliet followed Garrus to the door, not looking at the bodies of their fallen squad mates. Juliet looked back to Tarak, who now held the dead merc in his arms. He had taken the helmet off to reveal the face of a female. Something inside of Juliet came undone at the sight of the mercenary. He looked up to them as he cradled the dead woman in his arms.

"The next time I get the chance to kill you, Archangel, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." he growled.

Juliet looked back to Garrus, who turned away before she could see his face. The ride back to their own base was a silent one.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys!**

**Alright, so I know I'm not posting much with this story. Motivation for it is hard to find, and I've been so busy. I beta read for multiple people currently and work full time. I apologize for this crazy schedule, I am trying to get myself together here.**

**Please feel free to rate, review and even PM me if you have anything to say.**

**Thanks!**

* * *

Weeks had done nothing but wear the pair down as they sat and guarded the bridge, tired and fed up with the mercs. Juliet sat with her back to the highest ledge of the base, her eyes slowly blinking in exhaustion. She feared she'd go into stasis if she didn't feed soon. The only living thing near her was the turian who stood beside her, looking through the scope on his rifle. She closed her eyes tightly, turning her gaze from him as she caught his scent. She groaned, making him shift to kneel down beside her.

"You alright?"

She shrugged lightly.

"We're going to die up here, but otherwise…"  
"Only if they know how to kill you."

She gave him a weak smile.

"You deserve better."

He sat down beside her, resting his back to the wall as he sighed heavily.

"Better than what?" he said with a small laugh.  
"This. Fighting to the death up here. Those mercs aren't going to stop until you're dead."

He looked over at her, blinking the sting of exhaustion from his eyes.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm glad it's down to us."  
"Don't say that. The others were important too."  
"I meant because you're my friend." She looked over at him, hearing his heart beat quickly. "I don't think I would have been able to handle you dying too."

She laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She heard a low rumble start in his chest.

"I wouldn't want to die with anyone else." she replied.  
"We're going to be alright."  
"Need I remind you that I will eat you eventually."

He chuckled lightly, looking down to her. She titled her head up, her red eyes meeting his blue ones.

"I trust you."

She closed her eyes again and he took in the sight of her. She had dirt on her face and hands, from handling the guns and days of being held up in the base. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail, small pieces hanging out around her face. Her tank top was worn, dirty and clinging to her skin. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, making her open her eyes once more. He could see the questioning in her eyes, but he couldn't help himself. She'd always been beautiful to him. She was meant to be beautiful, all vampires were. Her hair was always full and shiny, and her skin was always a perfect pale color. Now, as she sat next to him, she was worn and tired, and truly weak, and he couldn't help but feel she was still the most beautiful human he'd ever seen. For a moment, they stared at each other before Garrus leaned closer to her. She seemed anxious to return his kiss after his lips pressed to hers. He let his hand fall from her face, running it down her arm. She was quick to respond by crawling on top of him. She sat in his lap, her cold hands on his face, her tongue pushing against his. He put his hands on her hips, taking in her scent before she stopped moving, her lips leaving his. She stared at him for a moment before looking around.

"Can you hear that?" she asked, listening intently to whatever it was she heard.  
"No." She got to her feet, grabbing his rifle before peeking out of the window. "What is it?"

She looked at him.

"I hear talking."

Garrus got to his feet, peeking over the ledge briefly before looking over at her.

"Are you making this up?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile before shaking her head.

"They're coming."

Hours passed as numerous waves of mercs tried infiltrating the base. Garrus and Juliet did a nice job of holding them off at first, but they wouldn't last long. Juliet knew it. They hardly spoke the whole time, concentrating on surviving instead of what they really wanted to. Juliet groaned as a heavy mech started walking across the bridge.

"Son of a bitch." she hissed, reloading her rifle.  
"Give it all you got." Garrus said through his helmet.

Juliet looked back over the ledge, shooting at the glass on the mech. The man fell limp as the glass fell away, the mech coming to a stop. Garrus sniped the few mercs around it effectively before they both lowered themselves down against the ledge.

"Not long now." she breathed, grabbing the last clip she had. He looked at her for a moment before nodding. He had a hard time figuring out what to say as she waited for a response. "You don't have to say anything."

He put his hand on her face again, making her look to him as she loaded her gun.

"Together?"

She smiled.

"Let's do it."

He rubbed her thumb across her cheek again, making her smile in a way he'd never seen before. They both stood again, aiming at the mercs that worked their way across the bridge. Juliet could smell them, the salarians, the turians, the humans. She could smell the blood every time one fell and succumbed to their wounds. Her thirst for blood only drove her to fight harder.

She tilted her head slightly, looking through her scope to see three humans crossing the bridge. She thought it rather odd that they didn't wear mercenary armor. She knitted her eyebrows, looking over at Garrus.

"Free lancers?"  
"It seems they're getting desperate." he laughed.  
"Glad you're proud of yourself." she scoffed, looking back through her scope.

She aimed at the woman, snarling slightly at the outfit she wore. She'd never seen another soldier fight without armor, other than herself. Just as she went to pull the trigger, the three freelancers aimed for the mercs they followed. Juliet lowered her gun slightly, glancing at Garrus as the mercs cried out in surprise.

"They're with Archangel!"

Garrus ran over to the other side of the base, looking out over the living area. The freelancers fought their way to the stairs, rounding the corner with their guns ready to fight anything at the top of the base.

"Shepard." Juliet breathed, catching the scent of the three. Garrus looked over at her. "It's Shepard."

He shook his head briefly before the door to the base opened. Garrus walked to Juliet, his guard up, but Juliet couldn't bring herself to get ready. She just smiled at the three of them, her eyes locked on Shepard's.

"Juliet?" he said with a surprised look on his face.  
"Shepard." she smiled, walking over to him quickly and hugging him tightly. She heard a bone crack and she let go. "Sorry."  
"I missed you too." he laughed, looking over at Garrus. "You're with Archangel?"

Garrus lifted his helmet off his head, putting his rifle down.

"Garrus!" Shepard said, his surprised tone returning.  
"Good to see you alive, Shepard." Garrus replied. "Your timing isn't the greatest."

Garrus explained to him what had happened with Sidonis and how they were the only two left of their team. Shepard agreed to help them get out of the base, if they agreed to be recruited on the Normandy. Juliet hated the idea of going on a suicide mission, but she didn't see how it was any different from what they'd been doing for the past two weeks.

Shepard wasted no time closing the doors to the basement after Garrus had told him to. Juliet had stayed with Garrus for the time, seeing as the mercs were attacking form both the basement and the bridge. Just as Shepard came back, the jet came flying down to aim it's guns at the window of the base. Juliet glared at Tarak, who sat inside.

"Archangel!" he yelled.

Garrus stood from cover, shooting without any sign of letting up. Juliet raised her gun too, shooting at the jet as it opened fire. She felt the bullets piercing her skin, but she didn't stop, her skin healing after a moment. She saw Garrus hit the floor as Tarak fired the guns. She stared at his body before raising herself out of cover again. She felt Shepard next to her and when she glanced, she saw the grenade launcher in his hands. He simply smirked, firing at the jet three times before Tarak crashed on the base. When the firing stopped, Juliet dropped her gun, running over to where Garrus lay on the ground. His blue blood was everywhere, his heart barely beating. Fear gripped her as she heard a cough from the wreckage of the ship. She walked over to the jet, lifting a large piece of metal to see Tarak struggling for his life, his heart also barely audible.

Juliet stared down at him, her fear turning to anger quickly as she listened to him, his breathing heavy. The scent of his blood was almost overwhelming to her. She kneeled down, her eyebrows knitted together firmly.

"Finish it." he said, looking up at her.

Juliet looked back to Garrus as Shepard rushed to aide him, giving him Omni gel. She felt her lip curl into a snarl as she looked back to the batarian.

"Did you love her?"  
"What?" he coughed.  
"That merc I killed, did you love her?"

She caught the small look of sadness he gave before he closed his eyes and coughed again.

"It doesn't matter. She's gone."  
"I told you to remember my mercy the next time you had the chance to kill Archangel."  
"I told you I wouldn't hesitate to kill him."

She grabbed the front of his armor and he let out a howl of pain.

"I won't show you mercy this time." she hissed. "If he dies, I'll come back, and if you haven't bled out by that time, I swear to you, the last thing you will feel is me snapping your neck."

The batarian gave her a smile amongst the pain that was clear on his face.

"If he dies, then I'll have killed your closest companion, and we'll be even."

Juliet glared at him, her red eyes set hard on his half lidded ones. She could tell he was dying. She wouldn't be able to kill him if she came back later, death was already gripping him quickly. She shook her head, a smirk of her own spreading across her face.

"Too bad I don't want to give you the satisfaction." she replied.

She put her hands on the sides of his head and twisted it quickly, hearing the bones snap before his body went limp. She stood slowly, staring down at him, the sound of his heartbeat no longer in her ears. She turned after a moment, feeling the hatred for the merc settle slightly before it rose again. She looked to Shepard and his teammates, who carried Garrus to a shuttle they'd called. Once he was in, Shepard turned to her.

"You coming?" he asked.

She averted her eyes from the shuttle to look at him.

"Cerberus won't allow me there."  
"Juliet, the alliance and the council wouldn't allow you on my ship either, but I brought you."  
"They tried killing me after you died. Garrus kept me safe."  
"Come with us. We're going to take care of him."

Juliet looked around the base before her eyes landed on Garrus' rifle. She walked over to it and grabed it, wiping off the small amount of blood it had on it with her shirt.

"Shepard, we have to go."

Juliet looked up at the woman he'd been traveling with, then looked back to Shepard.

"If they try anything, I won't hesitate to kill them." she said sternly.  
"I wouldn't expect you to." Shepard replied.

She walked towards the shuttle, locking eyes with the woman before stepping up onto the vehicle. Shepard followed suit and the shuttle closed it's door and took off. Juliet sat Garrus' rifle down before sitting next to his unconscious body. She felt eyes on her but it didn't stop her from putting his head in her lap, stroking the unharmed side of his face gently. She examined the other side of him, seeing most of his face was now damaged from the rocket. She took a deep breath, keeping the thought of him dying form her mind as she did her best to comfort him, her cold hand stroking his face still.

Shepard sat down beside her, watching her worry over the turian before leaning closer to her.

"He'll be alright."

She pulled her eyes from Garrus' face to look at Shepard's.

"I can barely hear his heart beating, don't tell me what's going to happen."

Shepard opened his Omni tool again, applying more medi gel to Garrus. Juliet heard his heart pick up it's speed slightly.

"You guys are close."

Juliet gave him a weak smile.

"A lot has happened…" she replied.  
"That's what I hear."

She let out a shaky breath, taking in the sight of the orange scars on his face.

"You aren't like me." she said.  
"No."  
"What did they do to you?"

She threw a glare in the direction of the two Cerberus operatives who sat in the shuttle.

"They rebuilt me."

She gave him a weary look.

"That's impossible."  
"Some would say vampires are an impossibility."

She shook her head at him.

"Are you… You?"  
"As far as I can tell." he replied, nodding.

Juliet could smell his scent. He was the same as he had been, his voice was the same, his face was the same, minus the scars he now had.

"Are they forcing you to do something?" she asked, her voice at a whisper.  
"No." he said quietly. "They rebuilt the Normandy. Human colonies are being abducted. Collectors."  
"Sounds like you, to go into the heart of hell."

He laughed at her.

"Will you help?" he asked. "Like old times."

Juliet looked down at Garrus, running her hand down his mandible again.

"If he stays, so will I." she said.  
"He gives the orders, then?"  
"Mostly."  
"What's happened, the past two years? How did you guys get into this mess?"

She smiled slightly, shaking her head. She looked up to him, taking a deep breath before she started telling him how they'd gotten to be who they were.


End file.
